~Welcome~
So glad that you stopped by.

~Pressing Tips~

1. Best iron cleaning tip: use Mr. Clean magic erasers to clean bottom of iron with. Wet magic eraser then wipe off bottom of iron. You can use on hot iron or cool iron.

2. Best starch for pressing: I love Mary Ellen's Best Press, the clear starch alternative. I smells yummy too! A little on pricy side, however, it just takes a small amount. Purchase it by the gallon and just refill your original spray bottle. Ask your local quilt shop if they sell Best Press by the gallon or order it online at http://www.maryellenproducts.com

3. Favorite iron for pressing, hands down, Rowenta Heavy Duty Professional Press. I love this iron. I want my iron to get hot and stay hot. I do not like the iron with the turn off feature. Best price I have found is at Lowes. Lowes has several Rowenta styles to select from. I like the one that sells for around $89.

4. Rowenta travel iron is my favorite for pressing appliqu�. It is great for classes. In my opinion it is the only travel iron that gets hot enough and stays hot enough when fusing applique.

5. Pressing boards surfaces play a big roll in how the finished piece looks. I like to use a hard surface for pressing during piecing and for fusing applique.  There are many pressing boards available. You can purchase the original Big Board, which is wonderful, at: https://bigboardenterprises.com/ While you are there be sure to check out the accessories. The rotary cutting mat is terrific. If you have limited space in your sewing room the big board and cutting mat are a must have. You can also find several tutorials/patterns for making your own big board and/or hard pressing surface. Sharon Schamber has a great video on her site at: http://sharonschambernetwork.com/

6. I like to use a soft, fluffy pressing surface for pressing embroidery blocks and on finished appliqued blocks. I fold a fluffy, fluffy towel over multiple times. I want the pressing area of the towel to be larger than the block I am pressing. Multiple layers of cotton batting also work well for a soft fluffy pressing surface. I always use a pressing cloth and steam for pressing embroidery and appliqu�d blocks (I use the lowest temperature setting for steaming (which is the wool setting on my iron). Using the soft surface for pressing, rather than the hard surface, helps remove in tucks, pleats or wrinkles in the embroidery block. Pressing the applique with the fluffy soft pressing surface helps eliminate the seam shadow from the applique pieces, which will show on the front of the block when pressed with a hard pressing surface.

~SQUARING up Fabric & Backings~

Jim and Wilma Cogliantry: owners of Christian Lane Quilters  have the best tutorial for squaring up wide backings or large pieces of fabric. You can find this tutorial at: http://www.christianlanequilters.citymax.com/squaring.html Be sure to check out their large selection of wide quilt backings while you are there.

Another good tutorial on Squaring Up Blocks:http://quiltuniversity.com/squaring_up.htm

I can not express enough how important it is to learn to square up your fabrics and blocks during the quilt making process. Square up your fabrics before and during the pressing phase and the cutting phase. Always square up your blocks before starting the construction phase of the quilting process.

Tips about your backing fabric choice
&
Thread selection for the quilting

The quilting is the last chance to enhance a quilt and allow it to sing! Please give as much thought in selecting your backing fabric as you doing in selecting the fabric for your quilt top. The backing can make or break a quilt. Learn to take the cue's from your quilt top in selecting your backing fabric.

The main thing I ask myself when selecting a quilt backing is, will this quilt be custom quilted or edge to edge quilting. With that being said check out this article on tips about your backing in the tips & techniques section at: http://www.thegadgetgirls.comThis article also nails it on thread selection.